Thursday, September 17, 2015

Review: A September Bride (A Year of Weddings Novella Book 10) by Kathryn Springer

Published
August 26th 2014
by Zondervan
Source: I received a copy from Zondervan Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest reviewMy Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Description:

A year's worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed.Annie's always wanted a home and a family. But will pretending to be a bride get her closer to her dreams?All
Annie Price has ever wanted is a place to call home. Growing up in the
foster care system, that dream seemed far away, but now Annie's dream
may be coming true. A friend she met in an online book group wants to
retire and has offered Annie a fresh start managing her little
bookstore. Believing the opportunity is an answer to prayer, Annie packs
her suitcase and moves to Red Leaf, Wisconsin.The residents of Red
Leaf welcome Annie into the fold . . . everyone except the bookstore
owner's son, Jesse Kent. But Annie refuses to let the handsome deputy
keep her from embracing her new home with open arms. She even volunteers
to help the local historical society refurbish an old church and agrees
to be the 'bride' for a special reenactment celebrating the museum's
open house.Jesse Kent can't believe his mother has handed the keys
to her business over to a woman she met on the Internet. Annie's
beautiful, of course, and smart as a whip, but what do they really know
about her, anyway? What if she's come to their town just for his
mother's money? The only way to see if his suspicions about Annie Price
are true is to keep a close eye on her---even if it means he has to
marry her! Planning their mock wedding will give him the chance to
uncover Annie's motive for moving to town. But as the day of the wedding
approaches and secrets come to light, Jesse must face the truth. He
wants Annie to be his September bride . . . for real.

My Review:

A small town with a heartwarming feel is exactly what Annie needs and is looking for. As a foster kid, she never felt that feeling of belonging and seems to have found it in Red Leaf, Wisconsin.

It's not in my personality to completely immerse myself in a new town the way Annie does, but she is very sincere and caring and finds herself planting roots with these great people after only a short time. I really loved Annie's creativity and bubbly personality and I could tell that those around her loved her just as much as I did. I also loved watching these friendships develop and strengthen.

One of my favorite things about a clean romance story is the first meeting and I love it when it's funny, just as this one is. Annie and Jesse meet in a very humorous way, not once, but twice and I was laughing out loud. Jesse is suspicious by nature, with good reason, and watching his work through his issues was endearing.

I love the wedding theme, the characters, and the sweet and clean romance. Although it's a novella, there was still time for a little bit of a mystery as well, which made things a lot of fun. I wish the ending would've lasted just a little longer, as that was one of my favorite parts, but otherwise, it's a fun story that can be read in one sitting.

Kathryn Springer, winner of the
2007 Write Touch Reader’s Award (long contemporary), grew up in a small
town in northern Wisconsin, where her parents published a weekly
newspaper. As a child, she spent many hours sitting at her mother’s
typewriter, plunking out stories, and credits her parents for instilling
in her a love of books – which eventually turned into a desire to tell
stories of her own.

After a number of busy years, when she
married her college sweetheart and became a stay-at-home mom, Kathryn
rediscovered her love for writing. An unexpected snow day from school
became the inspiration for a short story, which she submitted to Brio
magazine. She went on to publish over a dozen more short stories for
Brio, but it wasn’t until her youngest child started school that she
decided to pursue her dream to write a novel. In August 2004, her Love
Inspired® debut novel, Tested by Fire, was published.

Encouraging
women in their faith journey is the reason Kathryn loves to write
inspirational fiction. She hosts a women’s Bible study in her home and
volunteers in a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) ministry. When she
isn’t at the computer, you’ll find her curled up with a good book,
spending time with family and friends or walking on the trails near her
country home. Visit her website here.